The World's Common Tater

How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?

I’m a little late writing today. My dog had a vet appointment at a time that made it difficult for me to get much done beforehand.

I rarely pay attention to the daily prompts, but I saw this one today and then went to a vet where they apparently will never open the lobby to customers again. I arrive, call the number, tell them I’m there for the appointment, and they take the dog in for the appointment while I wait in the car.

I haven’t seen a lot of lingering changes. My wife still mostly works from home. There are masks here and there. Otherwise, life seems to be back to mostly normal.

Except for things like the above.

I went to Einstein Bagels recently because I had a free egg sandwich for my birthday. I took my book and was ready to settle in, eat my sandwich, drink coffee, and read. Turns out, most, if not all Einsteins are now carry out only. No one is allowed to eat inside the restaurant. Coffee is still self-serve and costs what it did when free refills were available, but you can’t be there to refill the coffee.

I’m sure there are other places like my vet and Einsteins that have gone to a “no customers allowed” policy. I’m not a fan.

It’s much better for me to be in the vet’s office with my pet so the vet can talk to me about things. When they scoop the animal up and I sit in the car, I have no idea what they are seeing or doing.

I’m sure Einsteins will lose business because a lot of the people I used to see at the one near work were there several days a week to read, chat with friends, etc. while drinking coffee. If you can’t be inside the store, they have no reason to be there. The bagels are good but there are other places you can go and enjoy your time and not be expected to eat in your car.

They say it is an efficiency thing, but I think they just like the money they save by reducing staff. Time will tell if that works or if the savings don’t match the money lost from alienating customers.